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The guitar looks like a legit 70's strat, although its had some changes in its life. One thing to clear up is the serial number, S9 - S stands for Seventies 9 for 79, but the serials often ran for years, in this case S9 ran from 1978 to 1982. The serial decals were waterslides they were pre...

The guitar is completely legit, that overhang is correct & exactly the same as on any other Fender, I just sold an 87 American Standard, that was the same. If the overhang was close to the body or guard, it would cause all sorts of problems. I suggest learning a bit more about the different...

The whole thing is about nature & simple physics, I can't understand why people are surprised about guitar bodies being multiple pieces, if you think about trees & how they grow it makes complete sense or it should. The best wood is kept for the best guitars & see through finishes, any solid...

Don't listen to the people telling caps & pots will make a difference, none of them make a difference until you turn the knobs. A different cap value will make no difference to the overall sound when everything is on ten, the cap value only comes into play when you turn the knob down, the taper...

One thing to get straight, the frets are the metal strips, the wood is the fretboard, terminology is key when asking questions on guitar maintenance. I have not got experience of pau ferro boards, but I have been a gigging player for 48 years, despite what people will tell you, lemon oil is fine...

I have been playing & gigging for over 45 years, the only amp I have ever come across that ticks every box, is the Mesa Boogie Mark V. I bought one 2nd hand & gigged with it, the cleans were superb, even better than the Fender amps, the gain choice was exceptional. The problem was that the amp...

Why seal it ? Leave it alone, nothing will happen to the neck, maple is a very hard wood, if anything it will only make the wood sticky !

The first two things you need to know : No1, the Fender serial look up site is useless for any guitar made prior to the late 90's, some mid 90's may slip in, also most current Fender employees have no idea concerning the history of their company & are not concerned with us dating our guitars...

It looks like you answered your own question, the guitar is to play , not to look at, but I do know exactly what you mean, I love the look of the darker rosewood, but I would prefer playability over looks, but its your guitar.

Its your guitar, but I would replace the decal, its very easy to do yourself. I would also check the exact year spec fir the decal, because Fender do not always get things right. There are some very good alternative decal suppliers online. Check out fuzzfaced & guitar hq for vintage specs.

Some sound advice here, you have a very collectible guitar there & it is also in very good condition. I agree with those stating that any prospective purchaser, will want to know the pot dates, the neck date etc etc, maybe your dad had musician friends that would be able to take the guitar apart...

Maybe you should have mentioned it was a 64 strat in the first place ! Leave it or try oiling or waxing it.

Exactly what Torren61 said.

I don't understand the hate, there is a use for chorus in a lot of circumstances. I have been playing in a busy Reggae/Ska band in the UK for the last 10 years, I still have the chorus pedal on my board, I only use it in two songs in a 25 song set.

Go for the tele, they are great workhorse guitars & offer something different to a strat.

If it is 70's / 80's do not swap anything in my opinion, these guitars are rising in price & the resale value is better with the guitar in original condition, any prospective purchaser will be looking at it from that perspective. If you are talking about changing the body, it all gets a bit...

Stay away from aliexpress & stop funding the Chinese cheap,counterfeit, rubbish invasion, there are plenty of really good European & American pickup makers out there & at reasonable prices.

it is a Korean Fender 100% listen to people like me & Bill Alston @balston11 .

I was wondering if the neck has been reworked & the skunk added etc, the plug looks very light in colour & a bit odd, no evidence of 3 bolt holes on the heel end, is that a possibility ? But it all looks like it has been there forever, definitely not a neck I have ever come across either.

Here are some Smith strats I own, note the pickups from that era & the deep contours.

BTW, I think the Herb Gastelum pencil signature is fake, someone has put that there in the hope it will make the neck more valuable.

That is an 81/82 Smith strat body with a 70's large headstock neck.

Don't want to disappoint you in any way, but it looks like you either drilled the wrong sized hole or didn't drill it deep enough, any wood will crack if you are trying to put a screw into a hole that is too small, I don't think any warranty would cover that & they would say what I have said. I...

I am not nit picking, I am telling it like it is, like the truth ! You cannot state your guitar was made on 12-2-83, because that date only applies to the neck, you can believe all you want to, but there lies the problem & why there is so much misinformation on the internet & most people do not...

Fender purchased a new Onsrud routers in 1981 to do all of the neck work, so there was not much hand shaping going on after that, there was a transition period in 81 where hand shaping was still in operation, it is clearly evident on some of the 81 Fenders. By 1982 everything was machine...